Blatche to Miss Two to Four Weeks, Stevenson Practices (Updated)

The Wizards announced that center Andray Blatche was diagnosed with a left knee strain on Tuesday and will miss the next two-to-four weeks. Blatche injured himself with 4 minutes, 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the Wizards' 103-87 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Blatche was attempting to drive around Shaquille O'Neal and bumped into O'Neal twice before eventually flying into the advertising signs along the baseline. He had to be assisted off the floor by head athletic trainer Eric Waters. Blatche has played in all 44 games this season and averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Blatche did not practice on Tuesday and interim coach Ed Tapscott said that either JaVale McGee or Darius Songaila will start on Wednesday in Miami. Blatche joins centers Brendan Haywood (right wrist) and Etan Thomas (left knee) on the shelf, and leaves the Wizards with just 10 healthy players against the Heat. Guards DeShawn Stevenson (back) and Gilbert Arenas (left knee) are also out.

Stevenson practiced for the first time in three weeks on Tuesday and Tapscott said he looked good. "As you know I'm a big DeShawn Stevenson fan, so I thought practice looked better because of his presence. I'm happy to have him back," Tapscott said. "I said to one of our assistants, in jest, do you think DeShawn can play a little five for us?"

Stevenson said he felt encouraged after a pain-free practice and plans on playing in back-to-back games against Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday and Saturday. "I feel great," he said. "I thought I would feel a little more pain, but I didn't. I should play on this road trip. I hope that I can. If I don't feel pain those two games, I'll keep it going."

Stevenson added that his back problems will likely remain for the rest of his career. He said that it's been difficult watching his team fall to the worst record in the NBA. "It sucks seeing the guys faces and knowing I can"t help or be there with them. You don't wish that on nobody," he said.

Tapscott also said that the team is hopeful that Thomas will not need surgery to repair the torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Tapscott said Thomas is at least two-to-four weeks from running, and another two-to-four weeks from practicing. Thomas has been out since Jan. 12.

This is actually great news. Ab is only out for a month or so. It forces Taps hand. JM HAS to get a lot of minutes now.
Within the next few games, Aj will get hurt from overuse and DSong will be our starting PF. That means that Pech will be going from 5th string to backup C.

Moron coach Tap finally will have to use Pech. Pech has been warming the bench since he's been here and now he'll have to be thrown out there cold because Tap didn't have the imagination to give Pech 10-15 minutes here and there (during a tank season)to try see if we could somehow use Pech in some way. Why re-up Pech if you are not going to find out once-and-for-all if we wasted a first-round pick. Now Tap is forced to find out. Jeez! Only the Wizards.

While I wouldn't say to hell with Pech, it does guarantee more minutes for JM. We may actually need Pech because Jm will undoubtedly get into foul trouble in some games. Another 7 footer with 6 fouls doesn't hurt.

"Really? You make him out to be some kinda great GM. What the freak has Ernie G done that warrents our great patience. The Wiz have been stuck in the mud for 3 years now. And all we kept hearing was well injuries, wah wah wah. Well all teams get injuries. Where is Mr Gs contingency plan?
There is and was none.
Signing Arenas and jamison for the bread he did was pure sickness. And based on Gils health, a crime.
Mr G does act like a rookie gm to me. Sorry."

Posted by: dovelevine | January 27, 2009 3:17 PM

“The Wiz have been stuck in the mud for 3 years now”
Think that might have had anything to do with the head coach? Just a thought.
I agree that signing Gil and AJ for that amount was nonsense. But I firmly believe Ernie was pressured by Abe to do it. Abe is a loyal man, who knows how to make money.

Gil brings a whole new fan base to Dc, and tremendous marketing opportunities to the franchise (when healthy). Abe knows this. Gil made the Wizards franchise a lot of money, based on apparel sales, advertising, etc. The Wiz got a whole new fan base, because of Gil. Thus, Abe rewarded him.

As for AJ, he is the “consummate” professional, who is a role model on and off the court who gives back to the city. Abe LOVES guys like this, and thus AJ was rewarded.

Believe me, I am the first to agree that we overpaid for these two guys, but I wouldn’t be too quick to point the finger at Ernie. Let’s not forget who signs Ernie’s paychecks.

And check Ernie's track record in Ny and Mil. It's not too shabby my friend.

This run of injuries is simply incredible. I can't remember a team ever having this happen over a two-three year period. Some teams have bad years here and there, but this run is unprecedented, at least in my memory.

For those wondering about Song playing a lot at C, I don't think it will happen. Sure, he'll play there some, but he'll also need to back up Antawn. I think JaVale's going to have to get 25-35 minutes per night now.

I'm sure we'll see more of Pech now, too. I think that's a good thing. Can he play? I have absolutely no idea; but at least we'll know at the end of the season.

"The Wiz have been stuck in the mud for 3 years now. And all we kept hearing was well injuries, wah wah wah. Well all teams get injuries. Where is Mr Gs contingency plan?
There is and was none."

Do the names Andre Blatche, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Javale McGee, or Javaris Crittenton mean anything to you? Aside from Blatche, I'm pretty sure none of the others were here 3 years ago -- when we began to get "stuck in the mud".

Have a little patience and/or long-term vision. This is not the same team it was 3 years ago.

Grunfeld has done a decent job the last couple of years finding some young talent with potential. But the fact still remains that if he hadn't waited until 5 years into his tenure to do so, the Wizards might have already cultivated some players who could have stepped into the breach when the vets started dropping like flies this year.

All that said, he's certainly gotten more right than he's gotten wrong, although the differential is shrinking.

Grunfeld has done a decent job the last couple of years finding some young talent with potential. But the fact still remains that if he hadn't waited until 5 years into his tenure to do so, the Wizards might have already cultivated some players who could have stepped into the breach when the vets started dropping like flies this year.

Posted by: kalo_rama | January 27, 2009 4:36 PM

couldn't agree more. Ivan get this guy a spot in the Post's Friday "MUST READ COMMENTS"

I think its time to start thinking about new coaching candidates. Avery Johnson is very VERY high on my list. Who else is out there right now? Van Gundy...stick to tv my man, actually don't. Blatche is the truth and with all this weight he will gain resting his knee he will be a solid 5 instead of a subpar 4.

Another case of injury leading to what was a better choice anyways! McGee starts, Pecherov plays at least 10 minutes. Will they sign a project to a 10 day contract, say a Patrick Ewing Jr???????????????????

Hey, how about doing a story on Pecherov. What are the coaches views on him? Why is he not getting minutes? Is he that bad? Why do we keep him?

And to those who blame Abe for all the bad coaching and management of the team, don't be a moron, Abe owns the team but he does not participate in the daily management of it, that is why he has a GM, a coach, and a bunch of other assistants. You should thank Abe for bringing men and women Basketball, as well as hockey to this town without raping the city tax payers like the Redskins and Nationals did.

How about story on Abe? This guy should have been given the key to city a long time ago.

Yeah, can't have Songaila out there for tip off...so probably back to McGee starting for the 1st 5 min and then back to pine for the duration. I am sure Tapscott will not compromise his values and potentially harm the team by giving unearned minutes to a young player.

In reality, I expect this will crack the door a little for McGee. Hope he kicks it in.

Please play JM and Pesh, but also give Juan a chance. Mike James is not getting it done. He is so inconsistent. I like him when he is on, but when he is not, it is very ugly. Maybe Juan will be a little more consistent. Also, Juan and JM had it going with some slam dunks plays early in the season. Can Gilbert re-write his contract with less money, like the football players do. I don't think so.

Also, I feel that AB was having a good season, with potential for a breakout season next year, if he can play his natural position.

Exactly. Can we get Andray taking it, too? I don't see why these guys can't bulk up; anyone and I mean anyone can put on ten or twenty pounds of muscle lifting and taking protein a few times a week if they do it for a year.

You watch -- people will quickly forget how soft Blatche plays and attribute future losses to his absence. Meanwhile, Stevenson will be in line for renewed boos, the first time he does that hand-waving trick...

"I don't see why these guys can't bulk up; anyone and I mean anyone can put on ten or twenty pounds of muscle lifting and taking protein a few times a week if they do it for a year."

Don't know about that. Everyone's body chemistry and metabolism is different. Some people can't just pack it on that easily. That said, you won't know until you try. Which is another area where Blatche falls short. It was reported more than once that the Wiz trainers have been trying to get Blatche on an offseason weight training program for about as long as he's been here and he won't buy in.

If the goal is to see what the team has for the future, then there's no reason for Dixon to get off the pine, because he likely doesn't have a future in D.C. H's back on the market when his contract is up at the end of the year.

Grunfeld has done a decent job the last couple of years finding some young talent with potential. But the fact still remains that if he hadn't waited until 5 years into his tenure to do so, the Wizards might have already cultivated some players who could have stepped into the breach when the vets started dropping like flies this year.

He was busy bringing in said vets. When he'd completed that phase he began replacing dead wood on the bench with developmental players. Toss in a bad pick or two (pech and ramos - all big men don't pan out - but you still gotta draft em), and a bad FA move or two (ET's contract, aj's new contract), and there you go.

And the one nice find he did make here (RMason) he lost because he could no longer afford him.

Last I checked, every other team in the NBA has the green light to make FA signings, trades, and draft picks all in the same season. I hadn't realized there was a limit to the number of deals teams were allowed to make at any one time, or some rule that you could add a vet or draft a rookie, but no do both. Huh. Who knew?

"When he'd completed that phase he began replacing dead wood on the bench with developmental players."

Bull. He replaced the dead wood on the bench with more dead wood. What "developmental" players did he bring in? Where are they? Aside from Blatche (who's undergoing a pretty long "development" phase) all of the developmental players were acquired in the last year and a half. He had 5 years to find, either in the tail end of the draft or the lower rungs of FA, the same kind of under the radar players that so many other teams have in stock (I won't bother listing them, we all know who they are). Instead he came up with Ramos, Taylor, Lang, Pecherov, et al. And the one time he actually got it right--Mason--he didn't even keep the guy around.

Like I said, Grunfeld gets high marks for all the stuff he got right, but that doesn't excuse the many thing he got wrong.

"And the one nice find he did make here (RMason) he lost because he could no longer afford him."

He could have afforded him if he hadn't outbid himself to overpay a lesser player who had no real open market value.

The thing about the talent evaluator profession is that your success or failure is not determined wholly by you. You're either bad or you're lucky. And its determined partially on hindsight...

Whoever was questioning the Devin Harris trade, c'mon.

1. AJ is a major factor in why we haven't been in the doldrums the last 5 years.

2. Devin Harris definitely would not have given us the same lift over the same period.

3. Chances are he would've just begun producing at a high level last year or maybe the year before.

4. Undo that trade and we probably don't make the playoffs once in the last 4 seasons.

5. At the time we had just signed Gilbert Arenas the summer before. We had our PG of the future.

6. No trade where you get rid of an over the hill, kneeless player with a big contract, a rookie draft pick, and some bench fodder for a Jamison caliber player in his prime can be considered a bad trade, unless that rook is a guaranteed future HOF'er.

You want jamison here when it benefits us (over the last 4 years), and now that DHarris has developed into an all-star caliber player, you want him back...

There is absolutely no way to classify that as a bad trade. Hindsight or not.

Last I checked, every other team in the NBA has the green light to make FA signings, trades, and draft picks all in the same season. I hadn't realized there was a limit to the number of deals teams were allowed to make at any one time, or some rule that you could add a vet or draft a rookie, but no do both. Huh. Who knew?

EG spent a significant amount of time overcoming/undoing bad roster moves made before he got here. That took the better part of his first few years here. Maybe his hands were tied?

Look, I don't want to be an EG apologist. I think that while his weakness is FA signings, he's good at it. Not great, but good. I think he excels in draft evaluation (with one glaring blemish) and hiring coaches.

And name the team that could weather losing their best overall player, their three best 3pt shooters, their two best defenders, three (now four) starters, two (now three) centers, etc, and turn in a .500 season. EG doesn't walk on water, and you can't blame him for injuries. If he had quality players to step in, they'd probably be hurt too...

And I'd pick Dsteve over RMason. Better ballhandler, better defender, better at creating his own shot, and not that much worse a 3pt shooter. The only thing Mason has over him is he's a better 3pt shooter, and he is more professional.

Back atcha. I'm getting rather weary of you ignoring what I actually say to instead argue surrogate points you make up and pretend like I said them.

I never, ever blamed Grunfeld for injuries. Not did I ever claim that the team could withstand the hits its taken and finish .500. So asking me to name a team that could is utterly irrelevant to anything I've said and giant flaming straw man of an argument.

And pointing out that you think he's "good, not great" is hardly a revelation, because I've said the same thing about him many, many times (including earlier in this thread).

What I have said is that Grunefled should be held responsible, and rightfully so, for not doing more before now to fill out the roster with young players with developmental potential. I've also said that if he'd been better at that part of the job earlier, the team would have been in better shape now, even with injuries (I also said, quite explicitly, however, that they'd probably still be a lottery team. They'd just be better positioned going forward, when they got their guys back healthy.)

Again, he's been here 6 years and has come up empty prior to last summer. If that's not his fault, whose is it?

"EG spent a significant amount of time overcoming/undoing bad roster moves made before he got here. That took the better part of his first few years here. Maybe his hands were tied?"

What were his hands tied by? Like I said, other GMs in the NBA manage to work trades, FA signings, and the draft at the same time. But somehow it's too taxing for Grunfeld? Was he so mentally fatigued from trading for Jamison and signing Arenas that he didn't have the mental acuity to properly evaluate talent in the second round or on the low end of the FA market for the next 4-5 years? Please.

Arguing that he's basically been too busy to perform a major part of his job for the past 5 or 6 years is the nadir of weak excuses.

"And I'd pick Dsteve over RMason. Better ballhandler, better defender, better at creating his own shot, and not that much worse a 3pt shooter. "

Wrong on all counts. If Stevenson was the better ballhandler, why was Mason the one being used at the backup PG spot? Stevenson can't create off the dribble. He could back before the knee surgery years ago, but he's never been anything but a spot up shooter for the Wizards. Mason isn't going to blow by anyone off the dribble, but he's quite good at using the threat of his outside shooting to get defenders to bite and then driving it onto the middle for a pull up jumper. They're both nothing more than pretty good defenders, at best.

tap is awful. javale should finally get some consistent time again, too bad the man he should be standing next had to get hurt for it to happen. Well we'll have approximately 33 minutes of 5 point deshawn coming back, sweet.

jones-y, You're on point with that Devin Harris argument. It was a good deal when we made it. In fact, seeing how AJ is doing a 21 and 9 this year, it's still a good deal. Ppl factor in the age difference but should just be looking at production.

gdiddy7, why are you saying no... we could all say "NOOOOOOO!!" if the Wizards were playing for a playoff spot and this season actually had meant something... it doesn't really matter that Andray is injured.

I now see the rationale behind your being generally disliked around here. Take care.

jones-y, i hope you don't stop posting here. Your commentary is valuable. Some of us (like myself) long ago tired of Kal's act. He doesn't discuss -- he lectures us mere mortals. He's the smartest guy in the room -- always has been, always will be -- and he wants everyone to know it. He's the most humorless, joyless poster I've ever come across, I believe.

He has good analytical skills, but don't you dare disagree with him. He will never, ever give up on an argument. When you tire of debating him -- which you did -- he will accuse you of giving up because you can't stand against his Gibraltar logic anymore.

He'd rather cut off a pinkie than let someone get the last word in. He's also petty, insulting and patronizing to a degree I've rarely seen. He's just plain unpleasant. But, as he told me last year, he "simply doesn't care."

I pity him more than anything else, although he'll surely be offended by my pity.

I would put McGee in over Songala - only b/c McGee is slightly more aggressive when it comes to making baskets... he is also inproving on defense. But above all he needs to PLAY in order to get better. McGuire is a BEAST on defense! He has only gotten better & his resbounding skills will be sorely missed if Stevenson is back in & he is out.

I would like to see Crittenton start over James.... once he learned the Wizards offense he was a contributor, but now it seems like he is not making his best effort...